


The Feeling Never Goes Away

by leiascully



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Community: donnaficathon, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-07-19
Updated: 2007-07-19
Packaged: 2017-10-03 07:27:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leiascully/pseuds/leiascully
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charlie was the real reason she was there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Feeling Never Goes Away

**Author's Note:**

  * For [helsinkibaby](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=helsinkibaby).



> Timeline: S2  
> A/N: Written for the donnaficathon.  
> Disclaimer: _The West Wing_ and all related characters are property of Aaron Sorkin, Thomas Schlamme, and NBC. No profit is made from this work and no infringement is intended.

She slipped away at every free moment and took unnecessary detours past his desk, the way she'd been doing for the past month. It was an out of the way desk, and she was a little frightened of surprising the President outside of the Oval, but she couldn't help herself. She had to see him. She told herself it was because he was the new guy and she wanted to help him along, but Margaret was closer and had been around longer, and Mrs. Landingham was right across from him and was definitely more experienced. Mrs. Landingham gave her knowing looks every time Donna drifted past with her salad and Josh's awful sandwich, but only said hello in that crisp little way of hers. Donna blushed anyway, and took a cookie as an excuse to be there. She gave them to Josh. Josh was going to get fat on Mrs. Landingham's cookies if he didn't start going to the gym more often. But Charlie was the real reason she was there.

"Good morning, Donna," he would say, his voice smooth and cheerful. If he wasn't too busy, he'd gift her with that big beautiful smile. "How are you today?"

She always told him she was fine. Sometimes he was going the same way that she was and she could watch him walk. He moved so gracefully. Donna carried the food back to Josh each day and daydreamed as Josh rambled on about his passion of the moment. She loved Josh – he was like a brother to her, and she was incredibly grateful that he'd taken her back – but he was self-centered and arrogant. Charlie was a sweet guy. Lord knew that Donna was ready for a sweet guy. Every day it was the same thing: she came in early, spent the day ordering the tiny realm of Josh's bullpen, listened to his limitless chatter, stayed late cleaning up after him. How many more years of this did she have?

Donna needed a distraction. She needed butterflies in her stomach again. She needed to be excited about something again. The White House was too overwhelming to be thrilling anymore. She was going stale. But Charlie was a breath of fresh air.

 

He waited for her to come in every day. She would stride in and steal a cookie from the jar on Mrs. Landingham's desk. For Josh, she said, and smiled at him. She wasn't like any woman he'd ever known before. She was gorgeous. She was so dedicated to her work. He was afraid she was as dedicated to Josh as the office gossips said. Not that Josh wasn't a good guy, but Charlie couldn't get away from the fact that he wanted Donna. She was like springtime in the generally winterish discontent of the West Wing. Donna was so at ease, so confident in her competence. He'd been running full-tilt just to keep up for the past month. He wanted to know her secrets, wanted to hear them whispered over a pillow at night with her blonde hair tickling his cheek.

"Good afternoon," he said when she walked in. What he wanted to say was "You're beautiful." What he wanted to say was "Want to go out for a drink sometime?" What he wanted to say was "You're amazing. You light up this office." He hoped she could hear all of these sentences jostling behind the words he actually spoke.

Charlie sneaked glances sideways at Josh whenever he blew through on his way to the Oval. What made him worthy of Donna's attention? He tried to see Josh from Donna's point of view. It made his head hurt. Josh treated Donna like an extension of himself. They seemed so natural together. Charlie mulled it over each night as he cooked dinner for himself and listened to Deanna talk about school. Why would Donna want the President's bodyman when she could have the Deputy Chief of Staff?

 

His chance: the State Dinner. She was quietly lovely, trailing around behind Josh in a dark gown. Josh was otherwise occupied; his eyes had that hazy look that meant he was thinking incredibly hard. It was easy for Charlie to slip into the room and find her alone. He sat down beside her.

"Where's Josh?"

"Somewhere." She smiled at him, but there was worry in her eyes. "I think something's going on."

"Probably. There's usually something going on here." He leaned back, trying to seem easy-going. What he wanted to do was kiss her eyelids until that worry line went away. He thought about reaching for her hand, but his arm wouldn't do what his brain ordered. He watched her instead, achingly pretty in her dark gown like the Madonna of the West Wing, all compassion. She stiffened, suddenly alert. Charlie turned his head to follow her gaze: Josh. Together they watched Josh move across the room, suave in his tux but his arrogant stride a little faster and less self-confident than usual.

"Charlie," he said amiably as he reached the table, and shook Charlie's hand. "Hell of a night, huh?"

"Yeah," said Charlie, not really knowing what was going on, but agreeable.

Josh knelt by Donna's chair. She bent down to him, her blonde hair loose and washing over Josh's shoulders. Charlie strained to hear. "Donna, I need those files from earlier. You know the ones, right?"

She nodded. "Where are they?"

"I'm not sure. Bring them to Leo's office when you find them, would you?" Josh rose and patted her on the shoulder. "Thanks."

Donna kicked at something under the table. Shoes, Charlie thought. She had taken off her shoes. It seemed somehow endearing. She favored him with a sweet smile. "I've got to go and do this."

"I'll come with you." He stood, offered her a hand up. She took it. Her pale fingers looked good wrapped in his darker ones. Charlie hesitated a breath before allowing his hand to rest just above the small of her back as he escorted her out of the main room. The fabric of her gown was warm and sleek, a second skin. He felt her shiver a bit.

"Are you cold? Would you like my jacket?"

"No." Her voice was a little husky. "I'm not cold. But thank you." Was he imagining things, or did she lean against his palm a bit as she said it? They reached Josh's office too quickly, and he reluctantly let his hand slip away from her back. She bent over a stack of files and he tried not to watch her too appreciatively.

"So how's it going?" she asked, thumbing through a pile of things on Josh's desk. "You adapting all right? Your sister's okay with the hours you work?"

"Deanna's cool," said Charlie, putting his hands in his pockets. "She's proud that her big brother works at the White House."

"It is an honor," said Donna absently. "Not something I ever thought I'd be doing when I was your age."

"And how long ago was that?" Charlie asked, amused. Donna looked up at him.

"Not that long ago. God, I sounded like an old woman there, didn't I? Sorry about that."

"No problem." He smiled at her embarrassed blush. "Josh told me something the night I was hired. He said there's a feeling that you get when you work here and it never goes away."

Donna pulled a folder out of the pile. "No. No, it doesn't." She wedged the folder back in. "I never get over walking in through those doors every morning."

"I never get over seeing you walk in every morning," he dares to say, and her busy hands go quiet. She looks up at him; her face seems as if it's all blue eyes and quivering pink lips.

"Really?" It was almost a whisper. He didn't trust himself to speak; he just nodded. He had never wanted anyone this much. She stepped toward him, graceful on her high heels with a file in her hand. Charlie waited, not really breathing. She came closer, closer. Her lips brushed his cheek.

"Thank you," she said. "I can't imagine what this place would be like without you."

He turned his head and kissed her lips. No, the feeling never went away.


End file.
